No Opportunity Wasted

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Hey everyone,

Greetings from the Peg! After a very good but very busy summer we finally have a chance to breathe and catch up on everything in our life, so there is a lot to report. There have been some good times and some hard times, but through it all we feel fortunate that we are so well loved and supported by all of you. So, we hope this helps you get an idea of all that you are helping us do through your prayer, friendship and financial support. Enjoy!

Mission Adventures Summer

Once again our intensive Mission Adventures (MA) program took over our lives for the summer, but what an amazing summer it was. We had three great teams over July and August from Burnsville, Minnesota, Kitchener, Ontario and Pambrun, Saskatchewan. Not only were the students amazing in their readiness and excitement to see Jesus’ heart for the inner city, but their wonderful leaders led by example, stepping out of their comfort zones and trusting God to lead their teens into challenging and powerful ministry.

As the single busiest and most intense time of year in our ministry, the MA summer program could not have happened without our awesome full-time and short-term staff. Imagine the hours and energy of summer camp with the training and logistic of short-term missions, and you will just begin to understand all that they did to make the summer such a success. Despite all the hard work, we had so much fun. But don’t take our word for it. One of our teams kept a blog of their experiences which you can read about here www.winnipeg2007.com/blog.

The following was written by Tara and Bethany from Kitchener Gospel Temple:

Man oh man, what a crazy ride! Yesterday was TOTALLY DIFFERENT, so many ups and downs - one second, everyone was happy, the next second, everyone was like, “Pass the Kleenex!”

So Martha ended up in a tent… we had to do a bunch of team-building games. Everything from crossing oceans made of acid to, well, putting up a tent while blindfolded (hence, Martha ended up inside a collapsed tent, blindfolded - thanks to Bethany).

On most of our games, the other team ended up doing better, because apparently we have trouble with “listening”… well, that and the people who are great at listening ended up with “non-speaking roles”. Great. But we learned a lot and the games helped us get so much closer as a team as we learned how we react to situations and saw each others strengths and weaknesses. There were so many good lessons like, we’ve got to use the WHOLE team, together, or we won’t complete the task.

The best (and worst) was the “untangle the human knot game”, where most of us ended up in each other’s armpits (Pastor Ryan said, “that’s the smell of team unity…”) - what a whiff… not sure what that odor was, but we all felt like skipping snack.

The evening session was about the crucifixion of Christ, and learning about purity. It was really intense and we could just really sense the peace of God in the sanctuary. It was the first time I (Bethany) really felt God’s presence, and it was so cool… we just stayed after and prayed together and just took it all in. I (Tara) think we really finally opened up with each other and just praying together was really good.

When we were praying after, we were all finally in the spot where we were like, “We’re in this together”, and nobody was afraid to pray out loud or anything. We had so much unity and all the “emotional issues” of Day 2 finally came to a close, and we were just… a team. It was kind of like our “spiritual kickoff” to what we’re here to do.

I (Tara) was really excited during our night team-time because we did this exercise where we passed around a piece of paper with our names on it and we wrote down the things that we could see God doing in the lives of that person. It was really cool, because it wasn’t fake, but it was just so encouraging.

We’re like one big family, and I think everyone had such a significant experience with God and with each other as a team last night… we’re so “tight” now.

Today we’re going to go on a prayer trip, and I (Tara) really think that this is so important, because it’s God that does the work, and taking the time to pray before we start our outreach is so important. I (Bethany) think that this trip isn’t only about us helping others, it’s God helping us.

Starting A Family

As most of you know, we have been trying to start a family for more than three years. After an early miscarriage, we haven’t had any success, despite the fact that all of our tests came back with positive results. While the doctors cannot explain the problem, we feel that now is the time to pursue the next step. After much prayer and consideration, we believe that we are to begin the process of international adoption.

The challenge and cost of this process is daunting. As our finances have been increasingly stretched over the last few years, we know this will only happen through God’s provision. We want to ask you all to stand with us in prayer and support as we take this important step. If you would like to help us in raising the funds to make this happen, we would be very grateful. We cannot do it without your generosity and prayer.

We Say Goodbye To 2 Staff & Hello To 2 More

After 5 years of serving with us, our very first full-time staff member, Paul Iverson, retired and said goodbye to us. It was sad to see Paul leave, especially for Jamie, as Paul has been one of his closest friends since his first day at YWAM Winfield a decade ago. Wanting to be closer to his family, Paul moved to southern Ontario. We were sad to see him go, but excited for this new stage in his journey.

We also said goodbye to Ellen “Ree” Pashley. Ree was a student in our very first Discipleship Training School (DTS), deciding to come back on staff for two years. During those two years she has been one of our hardest workers. With an amazing gift to engage and befriend people of all walks of life, Ree is someone we admire for her passion for serving God and loving others. Whether they were new immigrants, neighbourhood kids, members of gangs or serving time in prison, Ree only saw people who were loved by God. She will be greatly missed, but we know God has big things for her as she re-enters her college education.

Even as our staff shrank, the promise of growth has us very excited as well. Art Funk, a Manitoba local who has served with YWAM throughout the US, is coming on board. After serving as short-term summer staff with our MA program, he decided to join our full-time staff later this month. We are also thrilled to announce that he proposed to our other full-time staff member, Michelle, and they are to be married next year.

We are also experiencing an amazing, full-circle moment as we welcome Brenden “Brennie” Knight to our full time staff. When we first started the ministry in Winnipeg in 2002, Brennie came with his youth group to participate in our very first MA program. After returning several times over the years, we maintained a close friendship with Brennie. He joined us as a student in our last DTS, going with the team to Uganda. He returned to inform us that he wanted to join our staff. He is a very welcome addition to the team.

Keep us in prayer as there are several others who are considering joining us later this year, early next year. As the ministry grows, our need for committed, passionate missionaries grows with it.

Going Home To Australia for Christmas

It has been five years since we have been to Australia together to spend time with Kim’s family. It is so important for us to make this trip, but the drain on our resources kept it from happening sooner. With the long and very expensive process of getting Kim’s Permanent Residency finally behind us (Praise God!), we were able to make it happen this Christmas.

Unfortunately, after saving flight points for over five years, we discovered that, while we had saved more than enough points to cover the flights, they had no point flights available, so we were forced to purchase the tickets at full price. In the end, we felt it was a purchase we needed to make, as spending time with our Australian family is very important to us. A great deal needs to happen before we can leave (anyone want to baby-sit a dog for the holidays?), but we are really excited about the trip.

This Is So Much More Than A Bookstore

After months of preparation and dreaming, YWAM will finally be opening The Dusty Cover used bookstore and coffee shop in the next month. Kim could not be prouder of seeing one of Jamie’s dreams come to fruition. With all the books priced, categorized, alphabetized and shelved, with the coffee and tea equip in place and with volunteers eager to pitch in, we are almost ready for the big opening. We know that this space will be a place where our inner city neighbours can come and build genuine relationships, where the kids can feel safe and welcomed, and where we can learn to be Christ to our community.

We still have a great deal that needs to happen. As always, we need a steady flow of books to be donated, especially non-fiction. Also, as our goal is to be a missional space and not a money-making business, we are still looking for people, churches and businesses who want to sponsor the store. Above all, keep us in your daily prayers as this is a truly unique and challenging endeavour.

Trying To Make Ends Meet

With the recently achieved immigration milestone, the increasing expenses of ministry and the looming costs of adoption, we are understandably staggering as we consider the future of our finances. Over the last few years, in addition to having our ministry expenses increase, we have seen a steady decline in our missions support. So many of you already give so very much to support us, which we are grateful for. In order to continue to serve God in our ministry, we are working to see our support raised significantly without asking more of those who already give. Please pray with us in the face of this big challenge.

As always, we cannot overemphasize how humbled and grateful we are for all the prayer and support we receive from you all. You will never know of all the lives you’ve impacted through your partnership us, from the inner city of Winnipeg the communities in Uganda and Thailand to the young people from all over North America From the bottom of our hearts, we thank you and God bless!

As always, let us know if you are going to be in the Winnipeg area, as we would love to connect for coffee or a meal. Thanks again and all our love and prayers.

In His Peace,
Kim & Jamie Arpin-Ricci

If any of you are in supporting us financially, you can do so through YWAM Canada’s Project Funding office. Make your cheque or money order payable to Youth With A Mission and include a separate note with our name on it. Do not put put our name anywhere on the cheque. Send cheques to our Project Funding (see below info). If you are interested in giving on a monthly basis you can send in post-dated cheques or use our pre-authorized payment method. If you are interested in receiving a pre-authorized payment agreement form please email or call our donor office with your name and address.

They send out income tax receipts to donors monthly or annually. You can also give (without receipting) through the PayPal link on the sidebar. Any and all support is appreciated, especially in this time of increased expenses and ministry responsibilities.

Project Funding
PO Box 57100
2480 East Hastings Street
Vancouver, BC V5K 5G6
CANADA
Ph: 604.436.4433 Fx: 604.436.4466
Email: donorservices@shaw.ca